Fourth ACM conference on Hypertext

Sponsored by SIGLINK, SIGIR, SIGOIS In cooperation with Politecnico di Milano, AICA, commission of European Communities, GMD, INRIA, NEC, NTT, LINK IT!, SIGCHI

November 30/December 4, 1992, Milano (Italy)

Scope

ECHT'92 is the second in a series of European conferences on Hypertext and Hypermedia in alternation with the U.S. based Hypertext conferences coordinated and sponsored by ACM. ECHT'92 is a major event where researchers, developers and users can meet around the theme of Hypertext and Hypermedia.

The broad applicability of Hypertext and Hypermedia as a primary technology in many domains and its efficiency as an information integrator has led to increased interest from industry as well as recognition from academia. By their very nature, Hypertext and Hypermedia are at the intersection of many fields, including computer science, cognitive science, education, and communication. They are also relevant for many application domains. ECHT'92 will be of interest to a broad spectrum of professionals ranging from theoreticians to system and application developers, from researchers to authors and end-users.

The conference will include prominent guest speakers, presentations of refereed papers, panel sessions, technical briefing sessions, poster and video presentations, as well as demonstrations of experimental research prototypes and commercial products. The conference will also feature two days of introductory and advanced tutorials on a variety of topics. There will be opportunities for informal meetings of special interest groups.

Topics

You are invited to participate in ECHT'92 and to submit original papers, proposals for panels, tutorials, technical briefings, demonstrations, videos, and poster sessions. All submissions will be stringently reviewed to ensure the highest levels of originality and merit. We encourage innovative submissions in any area concerned with Hypertext and Hypermedia research development and practice .

A non exhaustive list of suggested topics includes:

Hypertext and Hypermedia:

• Applications; Modelling and design;
• Development methodologies and tools;
• Responsive interfaces; Evaluation;
• Systems software technologies;
• Authoring

Hypertext-Hypermedia in connection with:

• Database management systems;
• Object-oriented systems and languages;
• Operating systems;
• Knowledge-based systems;
• Information retrieval; Cooperative work;
• Computer aided design; Software engineering;
• Electronic publishing; Technical documentation;
• Presentation, museum and kiosk systems;
• Fiction; Interactive learning and teaching

For more information or to be added to ECHT'92 conference mailing list, please contact: Paolo Paolini- General Conference Chair Politecnico di Milano - Dipartimento di Elettronica Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32 -20133 Milano (I) Phone:(39) 2-23993520; Fax: (39) 2-23993411 E-mail: paolini @ ipmel1 .polimi.it Polle Zellweger- U.S. Coordinator Xerox Parc - 3333 Coyote Hill Rd. Palo Alto, CA 94304 U.S.A. Phone: 415-812 4426; Fax: 415- 812 4241 E-mail: pollez .parc @ xerox.com Jocelyne & Marc Nanard Program Committee Co-chairs LIRMM, Universite Montpellier II, 860 Rue de St. Priest, 34090 Montpellier (F) Phone: (33)- 67148517; Fax: (33)- 67148500 E-mail: nanard @ crim.fr Enza Caputo Conference Secretariat Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Elettronica Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32 -20133 Milano (I) Phone: (39) 2-23993405; Fax: (39) 2-23993411 E-mail: caputo @ ipmel1 .polimi.it

Submission guidelines

Deadline for submissions: July 13th, 1992 (papers, technical briefings, tutorials, panels, demonstrations, videos, and posters)

All submissions should be received by the Conference Secretariat:

Enza Caputo Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Elettronica. Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano (I) Phone: (39) 2-23993405; Fax: (39) 2-23993411 E- mail: caputo @ ipmel1.polimi.it

Note: ACM will hold copyright on all material appearing in the proceedings

Papers

Technical papers relate original work or integrative review (theoretical, empirical, systems). We discourage simple presentations of projects or commercial products. We encourage emphasizing "experiences", "lessons learned" or "integrative reviews". Papers should provide a clear scientific message to the audience, place the presented work in context within the field, cite related work and clearly indicate the innovative aspects of the work. Submissions: Full papers (less than 6000 words) should be submitted in five paper copies. A separate cover page must contain the title of the paper, name(s), affiliation(s) and complete mailing address(es) (incl. phone, telefax, e-mail) of the author(s) together with an abstract (about 200 words) and 35 keywords. Please send an e-mail version of the abstract with title, name(s), address(es) and affiliation(s) to the conference secretariat as soon as possible.

For more information, please contact:

Jocelyne & Marc Nanard Program Committee Co-chairs LIRMM, Universite Montpellier II, 860 Rue de St. Priest, 34090 Montpellier (F) Phone: (33)- 67148517; Fax: (33)- 67148500 E-mail: nanard @ crim.fr

Tutorials

Courses enhance the skills and broaden the perspective of their attendees. Courses should be designed to provide advanced technical training in an area, or to introduce a rigorous framework for learning a new area. Courses can be proposed for half-day (3 hours) or full-day (6 hours) length. Courses that focus narrowly on a particular product or research agenda, are not appropriate. A non exhaustive list of appealing areas is: hypertext in education; hypertext for cultural applications; technical hyperdocumentation; hypertext system implementation; multimedia technology; evaluation and criticism; methodologies and approaches to hypertext authoring; interface design; film, video, and visual rhetorics; artificial reality. Courses will be selected on the basis of the instructors' qualification for teaching the proposed course and the contribution to the overall conference program.

Submission: proposals should describe the content of the course and its format (1000-2000 words), should identify the target audience, the level of expertise required, and the length

(1 or 2 half days). Qualification and profile of the instructor(s) should also be included. A separate page containing title, name(s), affiliation(s) and complete mailing address(es) (incl. phone, telefax, e-mail) of the instructor(s) must be provided.

For more information, please contact:

Franca Garzotto - Tutorials Chair Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Elettronica Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32 - 20133 Milano, (I) Phone: (39) 2-23993520; Fax: (39) 2-23993411 E-mail: garzotto@ ipmel1.polimi.it

Panels

Panels are meant to provide an interactive forum for involving both panelists and audience in lively discussions and exchanges of different points of view. Panels for ECHT '92 will not take the almost "traditional" format of symposia or mini paper sessions in disguise. Instead ECHT'92 panels will focus on lively discussions by panelists who bring different perspectives to an important and controversial topic. Panelists should not present lengthy position statements. Panels should be moderated by someone who is comfortable interviewing panel members, interrupting panelists at appropriate times, keeping the discussion on track and being able to weave together the thoughts of the panel members. The panel should address fundamental issues,questions and approaches which are of current interest focusing on specific topics rather than dealing with broad and general areas.

Submissions: moderators are invited to provide a description of the proposed panel by submitting 3-5 pages listing the topic (e.g., by providing leading questions to be raised by the moderator), the specific format intended, the names and affiliations of the panelists with their specific backgrounds and their positions on the (hopefully controversial) issues of the panel. Panel statements will appear in the proceedings.

A separate cover page must contain the title of the panel, names, affiliations and complete mailing addresses (incl. phone, telefax, e-mail) of the panelists.

For more information please contact:

Norbert Streitz - Panels Chair Gmd- IPSI, Dolivostr.15, D-6100 Darmstadt, Germany Phone: (49) 6151-869919; Fax: (49) 6151-869966 E-mail: streitz @ darmstadt.gmd.de

Demonstrations, posters, and videos

Demonstrations provide the attendees with the opportunity to experience hypertext systems and question the developers of the systems. Poster presentations give researchers the opportunity to present significant work in progress or late-breaking results and to discuss their work with those attendees most deeply interested in the topic. Videos are appropriate for illustrating concepts that are best captured visually.

Submissions: demonstrations and posters should be submitted in the form of an extended abstract (approx.1000 words), describing the content, the relevance for the conference and what is noteworthy about the presented work. Demonstrators are informed that they must provide their own hardware. Videos should be submitted in the form of a 5 to 10 minutes VHS, PAL or NTSC tape, with a 500 words abstract, describing the content, relevance and noteworthiness as above. A separate page must contain the title of the demo, poster or video, name(s), affiliation(s) and complete mailing address(es) (incl. phone, telefax, e-mail) of the author(s).

For more information, please contact:

Paul Kahn - Demonstrations, Posters and Videos Chair Iris - Brown University P. O. Box 1946, Providence RD 02912,USA Phone: 401-863 2402; Fax: 401- 8631758 E-mail: pdk @ iris.brown.edu Antoine Rizk - European Demonstrations Chair Euroclid, Promopole 12 Av.des Pres, 78180 Montigny le Bretonneux (F) Phone: 1-30441456;Fax: 1-30571863; E-mail:antoine.rizk@.inria.fr

Technical Briefings

Technical briefings aim at providing a presentation medium for presenting details of a concrete design rather than an empirical or theoretical contribution. Presentations should emphasize experience in the design and implementation of hypertext systems or applications, and discuss decision points and trade-offs. Briefings are intended to deliver valuable technical messages to the audience. Briefings are encouraged to be accompanied by a live interaction with the system.

Submissions: Proposals (approx. 1500 words) should be submitted in five paper copies and outline the points to be made in the briefing. A separate page must contain the title of the briefing. name(s), affiliation(s) and complete mailing address(es) (incl. phone, telefax, e-mail) of the author(s).

For more information, please contact:

Norman Meyrowitz - Technical Briefings Chair Go Corporation, 950 Tower Lane-Suite 140 Foster City CA 94404, USA Phone: 415-3459833; Fax: 415-3457400; E-mail: nkm @ go.com

Conference Committee

• Conference Chair: Paolo Paolini- Politecnico di Milano (I)
• Honorary Chair: Luigi Dadda- Politecnico di Milano (I)
• Program Committee Co-Chairs:Jocelyne & Marc Nanard LIRMM, Universite Montpellier II (F)
• US. Coordination: Polle Zellweger- Xerox PARC (U.S.A.) Proceedings Chair: Dario Lucarella, Cra-Enel (I)
• Publication Chair: Guido Bucciotti, De Agostini (I)
• Publicity Chair: Walter Vannini, Datamont and Link-lT! (I)
• Promotion/Press Chair: Gualtiero Rudella, Mondadori Informatica (I)
• Audio-Visual Chair: Marco Cecchet, Politecnico di Milano(I)
• Student Volunteers Chair: Luca Mainetti, Politecnico di Milano (I)
• Registration Chair: Filippo Crespi, Systems and Management (I)
• Industry Liaison Chair: Roberto Polillo, University of Milano and Etnoteam (I)
• CEC Representative: Attilio Stajano, CEC (I) CEC Liaison Chair: Jack Schiff, Siemens (D)

Technical Program Committee

• Program Committee Co- chairs: Jocelyne & Marc Nanard, LIRMM, Univ. Montpellier II (F)
• Tutorials Chair: Franca Garzotto, Politecnico di Milano (I) Panels Chair: Norbert Streitz, GMD-IPSI, Darmstadt (D)
• Demonstrations, posters, videos Chair: Paul Kahn, IRIS Brown University and Dynamic Diagrams Inc. (U.S.A.)
• European Demonstrations Chair: Antoine Rizk, EUROCLID (E;)
• Technical Briefings Chair Norman Meyrowitz, GO Corporation (USA)

Robert Akscyn, Knowledge Systems ( U.S.A.) Patricia Baird, Scottish Daily Record (UK) Mark Bernstein, Eastgate Systems Inc. (U.S.A.) Peter Brown, University of Kent (UK) Stavros Christodoulakis, Multimedia Systems Institute (GR) Tat- Seng Chua, Ntl. University of Singapore (Singapore) Ralf Cordes, Telenorma Bosch Telecom (D) Richard Furuta, University of Maryland (U.S.A.) Nuno Guimaraes, INESC (P) Frank Halasz, Xerox Parc (U.S.A.) Yoshinori Hara, NEC (Japan) Connie Heitmeyer, Naval Research Lab (U.S.A.) Hiroshi Ishii, NTT (Japan) Bob Jansen, CSIRO (Australia) John Leggett, Texas A&M University (U.S.A.) Dario Lucarella, CRA-ENEL (I) John McDermott, DEC (U.S.A.) John Mylopoulos, University of Toronto (Can) Jakob Nielsen, Bellcore (U.S.A.) Tim Oren, Apple (U.S.A.) Roberto Polillo, University of Milano and Etnoteam SpA (I) Colin Potts, MCC (U.S.A.) Daniel Schwabe, PUC (Brazil) David Stotts, University of Florida (U.S.A.) Frank Tompa, University of Waterloo (Can) Randall Trigg, Aarhus University (DK) Anne Marie Vercoustre, INRIA (F) Janet Walker, DEC (U.S.A.) Nicole Yankelovich, SUN (U.S.A.) Polle Zellweger, Xerox PARC (U.S.A.)

Summary of Deadlines

July 13th, 1992: papers, technical briefings, tutorials, panels, demonstrations, videos, and posters.

September 20th, 1992: acceptance notification for papers, panels, technical briefings, tutorials.

September 30th, 1992: acceptance notification for demonstrations, videos, posters.

October 15th, 1992: final copy of papers imperatively received.

All submissions must be sent to the Conference Secretariat:

Enza Caputo Conference Secretariat Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Elettronica Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32 -20133 Milano (I) Phone: (39) 2-23993405; Fax: (39) 2-23993411 E-mail: caputo @ ipmel1 .polimi.it

Milan: beyond industry

For many people, Milan, the economic capital of Italy, is represented by its industriousness, its industries, and advanced services sector. It is usually considered a rather drab city with hardly an history that is totally concentrated on production.

As a matter of fact, the origins of Milan are extremely ancient. The city first developed under the Romans who named it Mediolanum (which means "the land in the middle") because its ideal geographical position made it an important hub for trade.

The vestiges of this period can still be seen throughout the city center. During the Medieval Era Milan was a free municipality. Later on it became a part of the seigniory of Visconti and Sforza dynasties, and subsequently fell under Spanish and Austrian rule.

The city urban layout continued to systematically expand in successive concentric circles. Different customs, the arts, and culture flourished in each of these periods.

The Cathedral, "il Duomo", for years considered the tallest building in Italy, was built between the 13th and 15th centuries. The "Navigli" - artificial waterways- which permitted trade as well as the transportation of large blocks of marble for the construction of the Cathedral were also built during that period.

Many artists lived in Milan when the city was a part of the Sforza seigniory. Leonardo da Vinci sojourned in Milan various times between 1482 and 1513. Here he created masterpieces such as the frescoes in the hall of the Rafters in the Sforza Castle and the "Last supper" fresco in the Santa Maria delle Grazie Convent.

Although the period under Spanish rule (1535-1706) was marked by the plague and a decrease in population, the years under Austrian rule on the contrary, were characterized by flourishing cultural and economic activities.

The La Scala Theatre, which the sovereign had called the "Most beautiful theater in the world", was also created in this period. Designed by Piermarini and inaugurated in 1778, La Scala immediately became the point of encounter between high society and culture, and decreed the success of operas by Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi.

Therefore, Milan, a city where culture, art, reformist ideals and industriousness have always been indissolubly linked, is considered by many as the second capital of Italy.

Today the connection between entrepreneurial activities and creativity has made Milan the capital of fashion, design, publishing, and advertising. Almost all of the most famous designers and advertising executives live and work in Milan.

Milan is also host to the Modit and Milanovendemoda exhibitions, events that have established Italian ready-to-wear fashion in the world; the Furniture Show, a biennial exhibit of the best Italian furniture production and design; and many other commercial and cultural events.

Moreover most of the publishing houses and the headquarters of fashion and design magazines are located in Milan.

However those persons who are not a part of the creative world can always find an interesting exhibit or trade fair to visit in Milan such as SMAU, one of the most important exhibitions of innovations in information technology, telecommunications, and office furniture.

Having cast off the drab mantle of the industrial city, for some years now in Milan has been pointing towards the advanced services sector and the post-industrial era.

The shopping opportunities are extremely vast, from the most sophisticated boutiques to skillfully made artisan objects, from shopping centers to specialized stores.

Milan's excellent connections with the most important tourist spots in Italy should also be emphasized: one can reach the picturesque lakes area in about an hour or take a short trip to go skiing on the Alps or swimming in the sea near Portofino. Venice, Florence, and Rome can be easily reached by fast trains: the "Pendolino", the new super fast commuter train, arrives in Rome in just three hours and 50 minutes.

Surrounded by sea, mountains, and lakes the city of Milan in equilibrium between past, present and future, has much to offer to the visitor wanting to discover it.